The players also talked with emergency room and ICU staff, thanking them for their response and care.

Kuper, too, got into a laugh with one of the survivors, Casey Rottman, who is a former college football player who played against Kuper in a college playoff game.

Turns out, Kuper’s North Dakota beat Rottman’s Winona State team in a playoff game.

Quarterback Peyton Manning also spent time Sunday afternoon calling families of shooting victims, as well as some survivors who remain hospitalized. Manning was among the first Broncos players to reach out to help.

Tamme tweeted about the visit to the Aurora hospital:

Wrote Tamme: “Wow. I’ve got to tell ya, that visit was simply incredible. Had no idea what to expect walking in those doors. But the staff, victims, & families were so impressive. The loss of life is so tragic, but the spirit, resolve, & gratitude in that hospital was just awesome. So many amazing stories of heroism.”

He continued: “A man shot in the leg telling the story of the 17 year old girl who stopped as others ran by & used her belt as a tourniquet on his leg. Nurses bragging on doctors, & doctors bragging on nurses. One doctor had no time to wait for an OR & began surgery in middle of the ER. Another victim and his friend jumped on the friends wife, and he took a bullet in the arm and leg. Met all 3 of them. Just incredible.

Tamme continued: Still some in critical condition, but amid all the chaos at Aurora Medical that morning, no loss of life… Outstanding job. One of their folks told us they started multiple surgeries within 10-15 minutes of a victim coming in the doors.”

Tamme also wrote about several of the patients he and the other Broncos players met:

Tamme: “Haven’t even mentioned a guy most of you have seen on tv, Steve, who was on the cross country bicycle trip with his buddy. They were on an overnight stay in Denver preparing to cross the Rockies. He was shot in the neck. Now they plan to come back. next year and finish the trip, hopefully raising money for charity. I was getting chills during our whole visit with them. Bottom line, this is still a tragic story due to the awful loss of life. But it was great to see these folks who showed such courage. and, for a couple hrs in that hospital, no one spoke about a madman, but instead they told the stories that give u faith in humanity.”

Decker added, via Twitter: “What a perspective visiting a few victims today at the hospital. Amazing people in good spirit! A testament to their courage and resiliency.”

From Dawkins: “Just left the Aurora Medical Center. Got a chance 2 thank the Wonderful Emergency team. & C a couple of the brave victims & thr loving Families. After leaving there, one thing I will defiantly do is hug my wife & kids when I get home. & squeeze them em tighter!!!!”

From Garland: “Just finished visiting victims of the theater shooting it was inspiring to see their resiliency. Wishing them a full and speedy recovery.”

Before today’s announcement, the future of the Pro Bowl was in doubt, in large part because the quality of the game had dropped significantly in recent years, with many players opting out of the game, and others clearly playing at half-speed, with little attempt to tackle.

The 2012 Pro Bowl was low-key enough that former Bronco safety Brian Dawkins was able to play despite a nerve issue in his neck that had kept him out of the Broncos’ playoff run. Several players in that game also tried out new positions, including a short stint at safety by Broncos running back Willis McGahee.

“The players believe that the Pro Bowl is an important tradition,” said NFLPA President (and former Bronco) Domonique Foxworth said in a statement issued by the NFL and NFLPA. “We worked hard with the league to make sure the best players in the NFL are honored for their achievements on the field.”

Because in the current climate, with everybody seemingly talking about offense, about the growing list of wide receivers with 100-catch, 1,000-yard seasons compiled in an era when today’s 12-yard pass is yesterday’s draw play, defenders continue to find the Hall of Fame process a rocky ride.

We already knew that Brian Dawkins was among the NFL’s most respected players. But just how much current and former players, as well as media folks nationwide, respect the now former Broncos safety became clear today after Dawkins announced his retirement after 16 years. He played his first 13 years in Philadelphia, and has been a Bronco since 2009.

Here’s a sampling of posts from Twitter today after Dawkins’ announcement:

Tim Tebow to the Jets? New York cornerback Antonio Cromartie got the Twitterverse stirred up yesterday by posting, “We don’t need Tebow.”

Then, this morning, as Tebow-to-the-Jets rumors heated up, he added, “Y bring Tebow in when we need to bring in more Weapons for @Mark_Sanchez let’s build the team around him. We already signed to 3 year ext.”

I was perplexed by the Broncos’ pursuit of safety Brandon Meriweather. I mean, he’s good. He’s talented. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler coming off a forgettable year (read: available at a discount rate).

But he’s not the Broncos type. Brian Dawkins is the Broncos type. Like it or not, Broncos, Tim Tebow represents all this franchise could want to be.

Google Meriweather’s name and there’s troubling incident after troubling incident in his past. Not that the Broncos’ locker room is full of Boy Scouts. They’ve kept attorney Harvey Steinberg plenty busy over the years.

But the Broncos pretty much stopped doing deals with the devil since Mike Shanahan left. Wouldn’t you know it, Meriweather signed with Shanny’s Redskins. The Broncos have Browns safety Mike Adams in for a visit today.

Veteran Broncos safety Brian Dawkins was doing some stretching and pre-practice functions Wednesday, perhaps allowing for some hope that he may play Saturday night in the AFC Divisional Game at New England. He did not have a helmet, however.

Dawkins has missed three of the past four games with a neck injury, including the past two.

More will be known about Dawkins’ status when interviews are conducted after practice.

If the fans have their way, the Broncos will be well-represented in this season’s Pro Bowl game in Honolulu.

Quarterback Tim Tebow, defensive end Elvis Dumervil and outside linebacker Von Miller would all be heading to Hawaii to play for the AFC in the Pro Bowl game that will be played Jan. 29.

Providing, of course, the Broncos aren’t preparing for Super Bowl XLV that week.

Fans constitute one-third of the Pro Bowl voting. The players have one-third and the coaches make up the other one-third. Bronco coaches voted Tuesday night with Bronco players filling out their Pro Bowl ballots today.

Miami Gardens, Fla. — Cassius Vaughn and Rahim Moore will have their playing time reduced in favor of Jonathan Wilhite and Quinton Carter, at least at the start of the Broncos game here today against the Miami Dolphins.

Carter will start alongside Brian Dawkins as the Broncos’ safeties. It’s clear defensive tackle Dennis Allen wants better tackling from his back end. Vaughn had started the first five games at left cornerback, but Champ Bailey will stay outside at left cornerback while Wilhite will take the nickel position.

Wilhite had been the nickel for the three games that Bailey was down with a hamstring injury; Vaughn and Bailey played last week, with Bailey at the nickel, in the previous game against San Diego when Wilhite was down with a week-long virus.

With receiver Brandon Lloyd now traded to St. Louis, my colleague Jeff Legwold reports the Broncos replaced him on their active 53-man roster by signing safety Rafael Bush away from the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad.

Bush was an undrafted rookie signed out of South Carolina State by Atlanta in 2010. He spent most of last season on the Falcons’ practice squad although he was promoted to the active roster for the final week of the season.

He was placed on the Falcons’ practice squad again this year. Bush gives the Broncos depth at a position where veteran Brian Dawkins is returning from a neck injury and the rookie tandem of Rahim Moore and Quinton Carter struggled with their tackling in the team’s most recent loss to San Diego.

I talked to Broncos’ safety Brian Dawkins in the locker room Friday. He left the impression that despite missing two practices this week with an ankle injury — his first two missed practices of the season — he will play Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.

“You just have to be smart about these things,” he said.

Don’t misunderstand. Even though Dawkins is in his 16th NFL season, he needs to practice during the week if he is to be effective on Sunday.

Broncos veteran safety Brian Dawkins has been an intense NFL force for 15 seasons. This will mark his 16th year in the league.

For 15 seasons, safety Brian Dawkins has been going full speed, and not just on the playing field where his relentless style earned him eight trips to the Pro Bowl. At age 37, he’s about to embark on his 16th season.

He’s a force off the field, too. He’s been a finalist for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of his community service work.

He’s also a man who’s upfront with his views and opinions.

All of which makes Dawkins the perfect man for The Denver Post’s “Fan Mail” feature. Go ahead, ask Dawkins about Tim Tebow, John Fox and the prospects for this season’s Broncos. But I sure hope a few of you Broncos fans send some questions about Dawkins — the player and the man.

Send your questions in an email to fanmail@denverpost.com. Please be sure to include your first name and where you are from.

The biggest name was Jones, who was signed a two-year contract as a free agent last March and was the Broncos’ nickelback last year. The development of second-year cornerbacks Cassius Vaughn and Syd’Quan Thompson made Jones expendable.

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.